Should the Trail Blazers Move on From Damian Lillard

Image Credit: Charles Krupa/The Associated Press

The Portland Trail Blazers selected Scoot Henderson with the third pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and now have a logjam at the point guard position. Damian Lillard has been the starting point guard for the Trail Blazers since being drafted back in 2013, but now this remains in question as it seems like the Blazers are heading in a different direction. Rumors were swirling before the draft of potential landing spots for the pick, as well as the stars Portland could receive in return. Before the draft, it was a tough call as to whether the Blazers should trade for a star or go for a full rebuild, however, now that they have made their pick and Scoot Henderson is officially a Blazer, the rebuild option seems much more appealing.

Damian Lillard has had an amazing career so far with the Blazers. Lillard has been named to seven All-Star teams as well as an all-NBA first-team nod and four all-NBA second-team nods. He was also named to the NBA 75th anniversary team cementing his legacy as an all-time great. The Blazers, however, have only made one conference finals with Lillard at the head, and the chances of the Blazers getting back there with Lillard are slim to none. Even if the Blazers could have gotten a player like Siakam with the third pick in the draft, they still wouldn’t be a better team than Denver or Phoenix. Portland’s best chance at a championship down the line is to hope that Scoot Henderson is a future superstar and to trade Lillard for the opportunity to draft more star players down the line.